The present invention relates to an adhesive tape applicator for applying an adhesive tape to door sash frames of automobiles.
Conventionally, pillars and door sash frames of automobiles have been painted in black or other colors in order to improve their appearance. However, painting requires additional manufacturing steps such as masking. Painting has also been causing environmental problems of evaporation of solvent into the atmosphere.
In recent years, in order to solve such problems, adhesive tapes made of vinyl chloride and coated with an adhesive have been generally applied to door sash frames and the like. As shown in FIG. 14, an adhesive tape T comprises a base material TB having an adhesive layer TS on one side and a release liner TL covering the adhesive layer TS. The base material TB may be provided thereon with a transparent protective layer TP, if necessary. The base material TB is colored black or other colors.
However, the recent automobile designs include greatly curved door sash frames. Moreover, in some cases, some portions of the door sash frames are narrowed because of the process of curving the frames. When an adhesive tape is applied to the door sash frames of automobiles using an adhesive tape applicator, conventional adhesive tape applicators can not be moved smoothly along the curves, narrowed portions and the like. Thus, the adhesive tape may be deviated from the door sash frames.
In addition, although the application of adhesive tapes to door sash frames of automobiles is carried out in assembly line, conventional adhesive tape applicators require considerable time for positioning and setting the applicator on the door sash frames.
Further, conventional adhesive tape applicators have the structure to give tension to an adhesive tape, whereby the adhesive tape is elongated. Therefore, although the length of the adhesive tape is preliminarily determined according to the size of an object face, the tension of application makes the adhesive tape becomes too long for the object face after being applied.
Since the application of adhesive tapes to door sash frames of automobiles is carried out in assembly line, an adhesive tape applicator which is capable of improving the appearance, manufacturing efficiency and quality of the door sash frames is desired.
Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide an adhesive tape applicator which is capable of applying an adhesive tape stably and accurately and to provide an adhesive tape applicator which can realize improved operability and apply the adhesive tape at a high speed.
The above object of the present invention can be achieved by an adhesive tape applicator which applies a main body of the adhesive tape to a door sash frame of an automobile while removing a release liner from the adhesive tape as the adhesive tape applicator is moved along the door sash frame, the adhesive tape applicator comprising a pressing portion having a pressing area for pressing the adhesive tape against the door sash frame and a means for altering the direction of advance of the adhesive tape which changes a feeding path of the adhesive tape and leads the adhesive tape to the pressing area, the means for altering the direction of advance of the adhesive tape comprising a contact portion which is in contact with the main body of the adhesive tape and leads the main body of the adhesive tape towards a pressing area of the pressing portion while feeding the release liner in a straight line path to remove the release liner, and an adhesive tape guide means which is disposed upstream of the contact portion relative to the direction of advance of the adhesive tape and contacts with the release liner to direct the adhesive tape towards the contact portion, an upstream portion of the adhesive tape guide means allowing the adhesive tape to advance substantially without resistance.
The above object of the present invention can be also achieved by an adhesive tape applicator to apply an adhesive tape with a release liner to the door sash frame of an automobile while removing the release liner as the adhesive tape applicator is moved along the door sash frame, the applicator comprising a holding means which slidably holds the door sash frame, the holding means comprising a guide means which slidably holds the door sash frame and guides the applicator along the door sash frame, a pressing portion which presses the adhesive tape and an adhesive tape guide means which separates the release liner from the adhesive tape and leads the adhesive tape to the pressing portion, the adhesive tape guide means comprising (i) a tape passage which is disposed at the front side of the pressing portion in the sliding direction of the applicator and extends from the vicinity of the pressing point of the pressing portion to a rear position in the pressing direction and (ii) a movable part which is slidably supported in the same or opposite direction of the applicator and intersects the tape passage transversely.
The pressing portion may be an elastic roller whose rotation shaft may be disposed across the guiding direction of the guide means.
The guide means may have a guide groove engaging with the door sash frame, the holding means may have a pressing lever which is resiliently urged towards the guide groove, the pressing lever may have a pressing member which can be moved towards or away from the guide groove by operating the pressing lever.
The guide groove comprises at least two bottom guide rollers disposed in the guiding direction at its bottom. The pressing member of the pressing lever may be a pressing roller. The guide groove is preferably equipped with side guide rollers at its side walls.
The adhesive tape applicator has a guide channel for release liner extending in the sliding direction of the applicator from the tape passage.